In Memory of ...... 1LT. Michael Hugh Breeding.
*** First Lieutenant Breeding was a member of the Marine Attack Squadron 122, Marine Air Group 13, 1st Marine Air Wing. On February 12, 1970, he was the pilot of a McDonnell Douglas Phanton II Fighter (F-4B). His plane crashed into the sea near Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in those who knew you. You will live on because we remember you!
MICHAEL HUGH BREEDING - Marine Corps - 1LT - O2
Age: 24
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Mar 19, 1945
From: BLUE RAPIDS, KS
Religion: PROTESTANT
Marital Status: Single - Parents: Father, Merle (Died 1984) and Mother, Viola Breeding (Died 1986), who most people knew as Doc and Blondie, moved to Blue Rapids in 1949 or 1950. Mike was about 5 years old.
* Brothers, Patrick(Pat) Breeding, brother of Michael, and Steve Breeding.
* Maternal Grandparents: Herman Henry Fred Bargmann (1891 - 1964) and Mary L. Ewert Bargmann (1890 - 1979).
***** (Picture)Steve Breeding, cousin of Michael, reads from the list of Kansas POW/MIA's during the POW/MIA Ceremony in Beloit, KS, October 2001.
***** Jake & Keri Breeding honor Michael...
Michael Hugh Breeding was my uncle. He was my father's older brother by two years.
Jacob Michael Breeding, M.D.
Clearwater, KS
***** Posted: 9:01 PM Feb 19, 2010
Bill Names Highway For MIA Marine
The Kansas House has approved naming the future Big Blue River bridge for 1st Lieutenant Michael Hugh Breeding.
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) -- Governor Mark Parkinson signed a bill Monday that will honor a fallen soldier and Blue Rapids man. It will designate the bridge near Blue rapids on US Highway 77 in Marshall County as the Michael Hugh Breeding Memorial Bridge. 1st Lieutenant Breeding's plane was shot down in 1970 over Vietnam. Hiis body was never recovered.
Designating the 1st Lieutenant Michael Hugh Breeding memorial bridge
************
HB 2436 would designate bridge no. 62 located on U.S. Highway 77 in Marshall County as the Michael Hugh Breeding Memorial Bridge. 1st Lieutenant Breeding's plane was shot down near the Quang Tri Providence in Vietnam on February 12, 1970. His body was never recovered. The bill takes effect upon its publication in the Kansas Statute Book.
Length of service 4 years
His tour began on Feb 12, 1970
Casualty was on Feb 12, 1970
In QUANG TRI, SOUTH VIETNAM
NON-HOSTILE, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was not recovered
Panel 14W - Line 130
Other Personnel in Incident: 1st Lt Robert S. Bradshaw, radar intercept officer, Killed in Action/Body not Recovered.
On 12 February 1970 an F-4B (BuNo 151454) of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122, based at Chu Lai, failed to return from a mission near Quang Tri.
When the second aircraft attempted to get into position, it descended into an overcast and contact was lost. The pilot and his radar intercept officer have been declared MIA."
The pilot's casualty record is coded as an operational accident, while the radar intercept officer's record is coded as a combat loss.
In any case, the bodies of the two crewmen were not recovered.
**************************************************
By JoAnn Shum
Published:
Wednesday, October 10, 2012 11:14 AM CDT
Blue Rapids was the only home that Michael Breeding knew, said his brother, Pat Breeding, Salina.
His hometown and state will honor him at the dedication of the 1st Lt. Michael Hugh Breeding Memorial Bridge at 2 p.m. Friday. The bridge on U.S. Highway 77 crosses the Big Blue River east of Blue Rapids.
Breeding’s plane was shot down near Quang Tri Province in Vietnam Feb. 12, 1970. His body was never recovered.
Mike and Pat’s parents, Merle and Viola Breeding, who most people knew as Doc and Blondie, moved to Blue Rapids in 1949 or 1950, Patrick said. Mike was about 5 years old.
They lived on the Hammett Ranch, which is now the property of Dr. Ken Duensing. There was a small house, some outbuildings and a very large barn below the site where the Duensings have their home today.
“Between 1958 and 1960, the folks bought a house that had to be moved because of Tuttle Creek Dam and moved it out to the ranch,” Patrick said. “It is the house that Dan and Kim Schmidt live in now.”
Mike completed all of his education in the Blue Rapids school system, graduating in 1963.
Doc died in 1984 and Blondie died in 1986. Pat and his wife, Patti, were married in 1970 and lived in the big house south of town before they moved away from Blue Rapids in 1976.
“As you would expect, our parents, Doc and Blondie, never did get over Mike’s death, due, I think, to the fact that there was never a body returned,” Pat said.
His mother was still waiting for Mike’s return when she died, Pat said.
Mike enlisted in the Marine Corps on Oct. 7, 1965.
He spent the summer of 1966, between his junior and senior year in college, at Quantico, Va., completing the platoon leaders course.
On June 7, 1967, after he graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in business administration, he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant and entered The Basic School, which all new lieutenants go through.
At the end of TBS the officers are assigned an MOS, which is their job qualification. Mike was assigned to flight school, where he demonstrated the knowledge and characteristics necessary to become a jet fighter pilot.
“I have read through all of Mike’s service records a couple of times over the past two weeks, something I have not done before,” Pat said.
There were always good comments on his brother’s fitness and academic reports, Pat said, including this comment: “An enthusiastic young officer that is quite thorough. He displays excellent potential!”
Another said: “His intense drive in flying has, however, caused him to lose sight of the other requirements as an officer.”
Pat interpreted this comment to mean that Mike would rather fly than put up with the “spit and polish” of the Marine Corps.
Mike logged his first flight time on Nov. 7, 1967, and between then and Dec. 31, 1969, he logged 448.8 hours with no accidents or rule violations.
Mike received his orders for Vietnam in October of 1969, had to leave over Christmas and arrived in Vietnam Jan. 25, 1970.
Mike flew his first mission in Vietnam on Feb. 1 that year. He was flying his 13th mission when he went down. It was his third mission that day, his brother said.
After notification of his plane going down, Doc and Blondie received a first telegram on Feb. 15 by the USMC Casualty team; a second telegram on Feb. 18 stating that Mike was still missing; a telegram on Feb. 27 saying that Mike was still missing and that an investigation into his disappearance was being conducted; and a telegram on March 18 that Mike’s status had been changed from Missing in Action to Killed in Action.
A memorial service was postponed until about a month later because Blondie said she did not want a service for the living.
A month before Mike’s 25th birthday Marine officers visited the Breeding home to notify the family that he was declared dead.
Major David Dunn, who will be at the unveiling of the sign Friday, was a 1st lieutenant who shared quarters with Mike.
“David had known Mike for four years,” Patrick said. “Both went to Platoon Leader Training at the same time.”
David flew “rear seat” and had flown with Mike before, including one hop on Feb. 12.
“David said that he had flown with Mike when he had completed the same maneuver of rolling over that he did the day the plane went down,” Patrick said. “David said that Mike was comfortable making this maneuver and had never shown any problems.”
David is writing a blog about his experiences in Vietnam, which he describes as “an, almost, daily diary of the eleven months I spent in Vietnam.”
“Anyone who is interested in doing so could scroll down to Feb. 12 and later dates to see what David had to say about Mike,” Pat said.
There is a copy of the letter that David sent to his family the day Mike went down and also a letter with his comments to the investigation team about Mike’s disappearance.
“David was the person who gathered up Mike’s personal items so they could be shipped home,” Patrick said.
The Kansas House and Senate unanimously approved the naming of the new Big Blue River Bridge in Mike’s memory.
Don Kotapish, Blue Rapids, a family friend, met with the Blue Rapids City Council, and there are plans to put some type of memorial to Mike along the highway in City Park, Pat said.
“I think it would be a great honor to Mike and his family to have the bridge named the Michael Hugh Breeding Memorial Bridge,” Pat said in his remarks to the Kansas House of Representatives Transportation Committee in 2010.
“We are very fortunate that we live in the United States of America, a free people in a free nation,” he said. “But the ultimate sacrifice for that freedom has been paid time and time again.”
“Honoring Mike by naming the bridge after him will also be a tribute to all of the others that have also made the supreme sacrifice,” he said.
“If even one person, who sees this sign, takes a moment to think about what the price of freedom is, this project will be a great memorial to Mike,” he said.
Six men from Marshall County died in Vietnam:
Gerald Dean Founds, Frankfort, Feb. 7, 1965.
Joseph Arthur Zutterman Jr., Marysville, April 20, 1968.
Michael Hugh Breeding, Blue Rapids, Feb. 12, 1970.
Allen Eugene Oatney, Waterville, June 22, 1970.
Ronald William Munger, Beattie, Aug. 21, 1970.
Michael Terry Martin, Marysville, Nov. 22, 1970.
“This bridge will be named for Mike,” Pat said. “Legislation has been passed to name one of the new bridges in Marysville in honor of Joe Zutterman, and the other in honor of Mike Martin. Our goal now is to do something to honor the other three men.”
***********************************
.
*** First Lieutenant Breeding was a member of the Marine Attack Squadron 122, Marine Air Group 13, 1st Marine Air Wing. On February 12, 1970, he was the pilot of a McDonnell Douglas Phanton II Fighter (F-4B). His plane crashed into the sea near Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in those who knew you. You will live on because we remember you!
MICHAEL HUGH BREEDING - Marine Corps - 1LT - O2
Age: 24
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Mar 19, 1945
From: BLUE RAPIDS, KS
Religion: PROTESTANT
Marital Status: Single - Parents: Father, Merle (Died 1984) and Mother, Viola Breeding (Died 1986), who most people knew as Doc and Blondie, moved to Blue Rapids in 1949 or 1950. Mike was about 5 years old.
* Brothers, Patrick(Pat) Breeding, brother of Michael, and Steve Breeding.
* Maternal Grandparents: Herman Henry Fred Bargmann (1891 - 1964) and Mary L. Ewert Bargmann (1890 - 1979).
***** (Picture)Steve Breeding, cousin of Michael, reads from the list of Kansas POW/MIA's during the POW/MIA Ceremony in Beloit, KS, October 2001.
***** Jake & Keri Breeding honor Michael...
Michael Hugh Breeding was my uncle. He was my father's older brother by two years.
Jacob Michael Breeding, M.D.
Clearwater, KS
***** Posted: 9:01 PM Feb 19, 2010
Bill Names Highway For MIA Marine
The Kansas House has approved naming the future Big Blue River bridge for 1st Lieutenant Michael Hugh Breeding.
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) -- Governor Mark Parkinson signed a bill Monday that will honor a fallen soldier and Blue Rapids man. It will designate the bridge near Blue rapids on US Highway 77 in Marshall County as the Michael Hugh Breeding Memorial Bridge. 1st Lieutenant Breeding's plane was shot down in 1970 over Vietnam. Hiis body was never recovered.
Designating the 1st Lieutenant Michael Hugh Breeding memorial bridge
************
HB 2436 would designate bridge no. 62 located on U.S. Highway 77 in Marshall County as the Michael Hugh Breeding Memorial Bridge. 1st Lieutenant Breeding's plane was shot down near the Quang Tri Providence in Vietnam on February 12, 1970. His body was never recovered. The bill takes effect upon its publication in the Kansas Statute Book.
Length of service 4 years
His tour began on Feb 12, 1970
Casualty was on Feb 12, 1970
In QUANG TRI, SOUTH VIETNAM
NON-HOSTILE, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was not recovered
Panel 14W - Line 130
Other Personnel in Incident: 1st Lt Robert S. Bradshaw, radar intercept officer, Killed in Action/Body not Recovered.
On 12 February 1970 an F-4B (BuNo 151454) of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122, based at Chu Lai, failed to return from a mission near Quang Tri.
When the second aircraft attempted to get into position, it descended into an overcast and contact was lost. The pilot and his radar intercept officer have been declared MIA."
The pilot's casualty record is coded as an operational accident, while the radar intercept officer's record is coded as a combat loss.
In any case, the bodies of the two crewmen were not recovered.
**************************************************
By JoAnn Shum
Published:
Wednesday, October 10, 2012 11:14 AM CDT
Blue Rapids was the only home that Michael Breeding knew, said his brother, Pat Breeding, Salina.
His hometown and state will honor him at the dedication of the 1st Lt. Michael Hugh Breeding Memorial Bridge at 2 p.m. Friday. The bridge on U.S. Highway 77 crosses the Big Blue River east of Blue Rapids.
Breeding’s plane was shot down near Quang Tri Province in Vietnam Feb. 12, 1970. His body was never recovered.
Mike and Pat’s parents, Merle and Viola Breeding, who most people knew as Doc and Blondie, moved to Blue Rapids in 1949 or 1950, Patrick said. Mike was about 5 years old.
They lived on the Hammett Ranch, which is now the property of Dr. Ken Duensing. There was a small house, some outbuildings and a very large barn below the site where the Duensings have their home today.
“Between 1958 and 1960, the folks bought a house that had to be moved because of Tuttle Creek Dam and moved it out to the ranch,” Patrick said. “It is the house that Dan and Kim Schmidt live in now.”
Mike completed all of his education in the Blue Rapids school system, graduating in 1963.
Doc died in 1984 and Blondie died in 1986. Pat and his wife, Patti, were married in 1970 and lived in the big house south of town before they moved away from Blue Rapids in 1976.
“As you would expect, our parents, Doc and Blondie, never did get over Mike’s death, due, I think, to the fact that there was never a body returned,” Pat said.
His mother was still waiting for Mike’s return when she died, Pat said.
Mike enlisted in the Marine Corps on Oct. 7, 1965.
He spent the summer of 1966, between his junior and senior year in college, at Quantico, Va., completing the platoon leaders course.
On June 7, 1967, after he graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in business administration, he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant and entered The Basic School, which all new lieutenants go through.
At the end of TBS the officers are assigned an MOS, which is their job qualification. Mike was assigned to flight school, where he demonstrated the knowledge and characteristics necessary to become a jet fighter pilot.
“I have read through all of Mike’s service records a couple of times over the past two weeks, something I have not done before,” Pat said.
There were always good comments on his brother’s fitness and academic reports, Pat said, including this comment: “An enthusiastic young officer that is quite thorough. He displays excellent potential!”
Another said: “His intense drive in flying has, however, caused him to lose sight of the other requirements as an officer.”
Pat interpreted this comment to mean that Mike would rather fly than put up with the “spit and polish” of the Marine Corps.
Mike logged his first flight time on Nov. 7, 1967, and between then and Dec. 31, 1969, he logged 448.8 hours with no accidents or rule violations.
Mike received his orders for Vietnam in October of 1969, had to leave over Christmas and arrived in Vietnam Jan. 25, 1970.
Mike flew his first mission in Vietnam on Feb. 1 that year. He was flying his 13th mission when he went down. It was his third mission that day, his brother said.
After notification of his plane going down, Doc and Blondie received a first telegram on Feb. 15 by the USMC Casualty team; a second telegram on Feb. 18 stating that Mike was still missing; a telegram on Feb. 27 saying that Mike was still missing and that an investigation into his disappearance was being conducted; and a telegram on March 18 that Mike’s status had been changed from Missing in Action to Killed in Action.
A memorial service was postponed until about a month later because Blondie said she did not want a service for the living.
A month before Mike’s 25th birthday Marine officers visited the Breeding home to notify the family that he was declared dead.
Major David Dunn, who will be at the unveiling of the sign Friday, was a 1st lieutenant who shared quarters with Mike.
“David had known Mike for four years,” Patrick said. “Both went to Platoon Leader Training at the same time.”
David flew “rear seat” and had flown with Mike before, including one hop on Feb. 12.
“David said that he had flown with Mike when he had completed the same maneuver of rolling over that he did the day the plane went down,” Patrick said. “David said that Mike was comfortable making this maneuver and had never shown any problems.”
David is writing a blog about his experiences in Vietnam, which he describes as “an, almost, daily diary of the eleven months I spent in Vietnam.”
“Anyone who is interested in doing so could scroll down to Feb. 12 and later dates to see what David had to say about Mike,” Pat said.
There is a copy of the letter that David sent to his family the day Mike went down and also a letter with his comments to the investigation team about Mike’s disappearance.
“David was the person who gathered up Mike’s personal items so they could be shipped home,” Patrick said.
The Kansas House and Senate unanimously approved the naming of the new Big Blue River Bridge in Mike’s memory.
Don Kotapish, Blue Rapids, a family friend, met with the Blue Rapids City Council, and there are plans to put some type of memorial to Mike along the highway in City Park, Pat said.
“I think it would be a great honor to Mike and his family to have the bridge named the Michael Hugh Breeding Memorial Bridge,” Pat said in his remarks to the Kansas House of Representatives Transportation Committee in 2010.
“We are very fortunate that we live in the United States of America, a free people in a free nation,” he said. “But the ultimate sacrifice for that freedom has been paid time and time again.”
“Honoring Mike by naming the bridge after him will also be a tribute to all of the others that have also made the supreme sacrifice,” he said.
“If even one person, who sees this sign, takes a moment to think about what the price of freedom is, this project will be a great memorial to Mike,” he said.
Six men from Marshall County died in Vietnam:
Gerald Dean Founds, Frankfort, Feb. 7, 1965.
Joseph Arthur Zutterman Jr., Marysville, April 20, 1968.
Michael Hugh Breeding, Blue Rapids, Feb. 12, 1970.
Allen Eugene Oatney, Waterville, June 22, 1970.
Ronald William Munger, Beattie, Aug. 21, 1970.
Michael Terry Martin, Marysville, Nov. 22, 1970.
“This bridge will be named for Mike,” Pat said. “Legislation has been passed to name one of the new bridges in Marysville in honor of Joe Zutterman, and the other in honor of Mike Martin. Our goal now is to do something to honor the other three men.”
***********************************
.
In Memory of ...... 1LT. Michael Hugh Breeding.
*** First Lieutenant Breeding was a member of the Marine Attack Squadron 122, Marine Air Group 13, 1st Marine Air Wing. On February 12, 1970, he was the pilot of a McDonnell Douglas Phanton II Fighter (F-4B). His plane crashed into the sea near Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in those who knew you. You will live on because we remember you!
MICHAEL HUGH BREEDING - Marine Corps - 1LT - O2
Age: 24
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Mar 19, 1945
From: BLUE RAPIDS, KS
Religion: PROTESTANT
Marital Status: Single - Parents: Father, Merle (Died 1984) and Mother, Viola Breeding (Died 1986), who most people knew as Doc and Blondie, moved to Blue Rapids in 1949 or 1950. Mike was about 5 years old.
* Brothers, Patrick(Pat) Breeding, brother of Michael, and Steve Breeding.
* Maternal Grandparents: Herman Henry Fred Bargmann (1891 - 1964) and Mary L. Ewert Bargmann (1890 - 1979).
***** (Picture)Steve Breeding, cousin of Michael, reads from the list of Kansas POW/MIA's during the POW/MIA Ceremony in Beloit, KS, October 2001.
***** Jake & Keri Breeding honor Michael...
Michael Hugh Breeding was my uncle. He was my father's older brother by two years.
Jacob Michael Breeding, M.D.
Clearwater, KS
***** Posted: 9:01 PM Feb 19, 2010
Bill Names Highway For MIA Marine
The Kansas House has approved naming the future Big Blue River bridge for 1st Lieutenant Michael Hugh Breeding.
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) -- Governor Mark Parkinson signed a bill Monday that will honor a fallen soldier and Blue Rapids man. It will designate the bridge near Blue rapids on US Highway 77 in Marshall County as the Michael Hugh Breeding Memorial Bridge. 1st Lieutenant Breeding's plane was shot down in 1970 over Vietnam. Hiis body was never recovered.
Designating the 1st Lieutenant Michael Hugh Breeding memorial bridge
************
HB 2436 would designate bridge no. 62 located on U.S. Highway 77 in Marshall County as the Michael Hugh Breeding Memorial Bridge. 1st Lieutenant Breeding's plane was shot down near the Quang Tri Providence in Vietnam on February 12, 1970. His body was never recovered. The bill takes effect upon its publication in the Kansas Statute Book.
Length of service 4 years
His tour began on Feb 12, 1970
Casualty was on Feb 12, 1970
In QUANG TRI, SOUTH VIETNAM
NON-HOSTILE, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was not recovered
Panel 14W - Line 130
Other Personnel in Incident: 1st Lt Robert S. Bradshaw, radar intercept officer, Killed in Action/Body not Recovered.
On 12 February 1970 an F-4B (BuNo 151454) of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122, based at Chu Lai, failed to return from a mission near Quang Tri.
When the second aircraft attempted to get into position, it descended into an overcast and contact was lost. The pilot and his radar intercept officer have been declared MIA."
The pilot's casualty record is coded as an operational accident, while the radar intercept officer's record is coded as a combat loss.
In any case, the bodies of the two crewmen were not recovered.
**************************************************
By JoAnn Shum
Published:
Wednesday, October 10, 2012 11:14 AM CDT
Blue Rapids was the only home that Michael Breeding knew, said his brother, Pat Breeding, Salina.
His hometown and state will honor him at the dedication of the 1st Lt. Michael Hugh Breeding Memorial Bridge at 2 p.m. Friday. The bridge on U.S. Highway 77 crosses the Big Blue River east of Blue Rapids.
Breeding’s plane was shot down near Quang Tri Province in Vietnam Feb. 12, 1970. His body was never recovered.
Mike and Pat’s parents, Merle and Viola Breeding, who most people knew as Doc and Blondie, moved to Blue Rapids in 1949 or 1950, Patrick said. Mike was about 5 years old.
They lived on the Hammett Ranch, which is now the property of Dr. Ken Duensing. There was a small house, some outbuildings and a very large barn below the site where the Duensings have their home today.
“Between 1958 and 1960, the folks bought a house that had to be moved because of Tuttle Creek Dam and moved it out to the ranch,” Patrick said. “It is the house that Dan and Kim Schmidt live in now.”
Mike completed all of his education in the Blue Rapids school system, graduating in 1963.
Doc died in 1984 and Blondie died in 1986. Pat and his wife, Patti, were married in 1970 and lived in the big house south of town before they moved away from Blue Rapids in 1976.
“As you would expect, our parents, Doc and Blondie, never did get over Mike’s death, due, I think, to the fact that there was never a body returned,” Pat said.
His mother was still waiting for Mike’s return when she died, Pat said.
Mike enlisted in the Marine Corps on Oct. 7, 1965.
He spent the summer of 1966, between his junior and senior year in college, at Quantico, Va., completing the platoon leaders course.
On June 7, 1967, after he graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in business administration, he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant and entered The Basic School, which all new lieutenants go through.
At the end of TBS the officers are assigned an MOS, which is their job qualification. Mike was assigned to flight school, where he demonstrated the knowledge and characteristics necessary to become a jet fighter pilot.
“I have read through all of Mike’s service records a couple of times over the past two weeks, something I have not done before,” Pat said.
There were always good comments on his brother’s fitness and academic reports, Pat said, including this comment: “An enthusiastic young officer that is quite thorough. He displays excellent potential!”
Another said: “His intense drive in flying has, however, caused him to lose sight of the other requirements as an officer.”
Pat interpreted this comment to mean that Mike would rather fly than put up with the “spit and polish” of the Marine Corps.
Mike logged his first flight time on Nov. 7, 1967, and between then and Dec. 31, 1969, he logged 448.8 hours with no accidents or rule violations.
Mike received his orders for Vietnam in October of 1969, had to leave over Christmas and arrived in Vietnam Jan. 25, 1970.
Mike flew his first mission in Vietnam on Feb. 1 that year. He was flying his 13th mission when he went down. It was his third mission that day, his brother said.
After notification of his plane going down, Doc and Blondie received a first telegram on Feb. 15 by the USMC Casualty team; a second telegram on Feb. 18 stating that Mike was still missing; a telegram on Feb. 27 saying that Mike was still missing and that an investigation into his disappearance was being conducted; and a telegram on March 18 that Mike’s status had been changed from Missing in Action to Killed in Action.
A memorial service was postponed until about a month later because Blondie said she did not want a service for the living.
A month before Mike’s 25th birthday Marine officers visited the Breeding home to notify the family that he was declared dead.
Major David Dunn, who will be at the unveiling of the sign Friday, was a 1st lieutenant who shared quarters with Mike.
“David had known Mike for four years,” Patrick said. “Both went to Platoon Leader Training at the same time.”
David flew “rear seat” and had flown with Mike before, including one hop on Feb. 12.
“David said that he had flown with Mike when he had completed the same maneuver of rolling over that he did the day the plane went down,” Patrick said. “David said that Mike was comfortable making this maneuver and had never shown any problems.”
David is writing a blog about his experiences in Vietnam, which he describes as “an, almost, daily diary of the eleven months I spent in Vietnam.”
“Anyone who is interested in doing so could scroll down to Feb. 12 and later dates to see what David had to say about Mike,” Pat said.
There is a copy of the letter that David sent to his family the day Mike went down and also a letter with his comments to the investigation team about Mike’s disappearance.
“David was the person who gathered up Mike’s personal items so they could be shipped home,” Patrick said.
The Kansas House and Senate unanimously approved the naming of the new Big Blue River Bridge in Mike’s memory.
Don Kotapish, Blue Rapids, a family friend, met with the Blue Rapids City Council, and there are plans to put some type of memorial to Mike along the highway in City Park, Pat said.
“I think it would be a great honor to Mike and his family to have the bridge named the Michael Hugh Breeding Memorial Bridge,” Pat said in his remarks to the Kansas House of Representatives Transportation Committee in 2010.
“We are very fortunate that we live in the United States of America, a free people in a free nation,” he said. “But the ultimate sacrifice for that freedom has been paid time and time again.”
“Honoring Mike by naming the bridge after him will also be a tribute to all of the others that have also made the supreme sacrifice,” he said.
“If even one person, who sees this sign, takes a moment to think about what the price of freedom is, this project will be a great memorial to Mike,” he said.
Six men from Marshall County died in Vietnam:
Gerald Dean Founds, Frankfort, Feb. 7, 1965.
Joseph Arthur Zutterman Jr., Marysville, April 20, 1968.
Michael Hugh Breeding, Blue Rapids, Feb. 12, 1970.
Allen Eugene Oatney, Waterville, June 22, 1970.
Ronald William Munger, Beattie, Aug. 21, 1970.
Michael Terry Martin, Marysville, Nov. 22, 1970.
“This bridge will be named for Mike,” Pat said. “Legislation has been passed to name one of the new bridges in Marysville in honor of Joe Zutterman, and the other in honor of Mike Martin. Our goal now is to do something to honor the other three men.”
***********************************
.
*** First Lieutenant Breeding was a member of the Marine Attack Squadron 122, Marine Air Group 13, 1st Marine Air Wing. On February 12, 1970, he was the pilot of a McDonnell Douglas Phanton II Fighter (F-4B). His plane crashed into the sea near Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in those who knew you. You will live on because we remember you!
MICHAEL HUGH BREEDING - Marine Corps - 1LT - O2
Age: 24
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Mar 19, 1945
From: BLUE RAPIDS, KS
Religion: PROTESTANT
Marital Status: Single - Parents: Father, Merle (Died 1984) and Mother, Viola Breeding (Died 1986), who most people knew as Doc and Blondie, moved to Blue Rapids in 1949 or 1950. Mike was about 5 years old.
* Brothers, Patrick(Pat) Breeding, brother of Michael, and Steve Breeding.
* Maternal Grandparents: Herman Henry Fred Bargmann (1891 - 1964) and Mary L. Ewert Bargmann (1890 - 1979).
***** (Picture)Steve Breeding, cousin of Michael, reads from the list of Kansas POW/MIA's during the POW/MIA Ceremony in Beloit, KS, October 2001.
***** Jake & Keri Breeding honor Michael...
Michael Hugh Breeding was my uncle. He was my father's older brother by two years.
Jacob Michael Breeding, M.D.
Clearwater, KS
***** Posted: 9:01 PM Feb 19, 2010
Bill Names Highway For MIA Marine
The Kansas House has approved naming the future Big Blue River bridge for 1st Lieutenant Michael Hugh Breeding.
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) -- Governor Mark Parkinson signed a bill Monday that will honor a fallen soldier and Blue Rapids man. It will designate the bridge near Blue rapids on US Highway 77 in Marshall County as the Michael Hugh Breeding Memorial Bridge. 1st Lieutenant Breeding's plane was shot down in 1970 over Vietnam. Hiis body was never recovered.
Designating the 1st Lieutenant Michael Hugh Breeding memorial bridge
************
HB 2436 would designate bridge no. 62 located on U.S. Highway 77 in Marshall County as the Michael Hugh Breeding Memorial Bridge. 1st Lieutenant Breeding's plane was shot down near the Quang Tri Providence in Vietnam on February 12, 1970. His body was never recovered. The bill takes effect upon its publication in the Kansas Statute Book.
Length of service 4 years
His tour began on Feb 12, 1970
Casualty was on Feb 12, 1970
In QUANG TRI, SOUTH VIETNAM
NON-HOSTILE, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was not recovered
Panel 14W - Line 130
Other Personnel in Incident: 1st Lt Robert S. Bradshaw, radar intercept officer, Killed in Action/Body not Recovered.
On 12 February 1970 an F-4B (BuNo 151454) of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122, based at Chu Lai, failed to return from a mission near Quang Tri.
When the second aircraft attempted to get into position, it descended into an overcast and contact was lost. The pilot and his radar intercept officer have been declared MIA."
The pilot's casualty record is coded as an operational accident, while the radar intercept officer's record is coded as a combat loss.
In any case, the bodies of the two crewmen were not recovered.
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By JoAnn Shum
Published:
Wednesday, October 10, 2012 11:14 AM CDT
Blue Rapids was the only home that Michael Breeding knew, said his brother, Pat Breeding, Salina.
His hometown and state will honor him at the dedication of the 1st Lt. Michael Hugh Breeding Memorial Bridge at 2 p.m. Friday. The bridge on U.S. Highway 77 crosses the Big Blue River east of Blue Rapids.
Breeding’s plane was shot down near Quang Tri Province in Vietnam Feb. 12, 1970. His body was never recovered.
Mike and Pat’s parents, Merle and Viola Breeding, who most people knew as Doc and Blondie, moved to Blue Rapids in 1949 or 1950, Patrick said. Mike was about 5 years old.
They lived on the Hammett Ranch, which is now the property of Dr. Ken Duensing. There was a small house, some outbuildings and a very large barn below the site where the Duensings have their home today.
“Between 1958 and 1960, the folks bought a house that had to be moved because of Tuttle Creek Dam and moved it out to the ranch,” Patrick said. “It is the house that Dan and Kim Schmidt live in now.”
Mike completed all of his education in the Blue Rapids school system, graduating in 1963.
Doc died in 1984 and Blondie died in 1986. Pat and his wife, Patti, were married in 1970 and lived in the big house south of town before they moved away from Blue Rapids in 1976.
“As you would expect, our parents, Doc and Blondie, never did get over Mike’s death, due, I think, to the fact that there was never a body returned,” Pat said.
His mother was still waiting for Mike’s return when she died, Pat said.
Mike enlisted in the Marine Corps on Oct. 7, 1965.
He spent the summer of 1966, between his junior and senior year in college, at Quantico, Va., completing the platoon leaders course.
On June 7, 1967, after he graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in business administration, he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant and entered The Basic School, which all new lieutenants go through.
At the end of TBS the officers are assigned an MOS, which is their job qualification. Mike was assigned to flight school, where he demonstrated the knowledge and characteristics necessary to become a jet fighter pilot.
“I have read through all of Mike’s service records a couple of times over the past two weeks, something I have not done before,” Pat said.
There were always good comments on his brother’s fitness and academic reports, Pat said, including this comment: “An enthusiastic young officer that is quite thorough. He displays excellent potential!”
Another said: “His intense drive in flying has, however, caused him to lose sight of the other requirements as an officer.”
Pat interpreted this comment to mean that Mike would rather fly than put up with the “spit and polish” of the Marine Corps.
Mike logged his first flight time on Nov. 7, 1967, and between then and Dec. 31, 1969, he logged 448.8 hours with no accidents or rule violations.
Mike received his orders for Vietnam in October of 1969, had to leave over Christmas and arrived in Vietnam Jan. 25, 1970.
Mike flew his first mission in Vietnam on Feb. 1 that year. He was flying his 13th mission when he went down. It was his third mission that day, his brother said.
After notification of his plane going down, Doc and Blondie received a first telegram on Feb. 15 by the USMC Casualty team; a second telegram on Feb. 18 stating that Mike was still missing; a telegram on Feb. 27 saying that Mike was still missing and that an investigation into his disappearance was being conducted; and a telegram on March 18 that Mike’s status had been changed from Missing in Action to Killed in Action.
A memorial service was postponed until about a month later because Blondie said she did not want a service for the living.
A month before Mike’s 25th birthday Marine officers visited the Breeding home to notify the family that he was declared dead.
Major David Dunn, who will be at the unveiling of the sign Friday, was a 1st lieutenant who shared quarters with Mike.
“David had known Mike for four years,” Patrick said. “Both went to Platoon Leader Training at the same time.”
David flew “rear seat” and had flown with Mike before, including one hop on Feb. 12.
“David said that he had flown with Mike when he had completed the same maneuver of rolling over that he did the day the plane went down,” Patrick said. “David said that Mike was comfortable making this maneuver and had never shown any problems.”
David is writing a blog about his experiences in Vietnam, which he describes as “an, almost, daily diary of the eleven months I spent in Vietnam.”
“Anyone who is interested in doing so could scroll down to Feb. 12 and later dates to see what David had to say about Mike,” Pat said.
There is a copy of the letter that David sent to his family the day Mike went down and also a letter with his comments to the investigation team about Mike’s disappearance.
“David was the person who gathered up Mike’s personal items so they could be shipped home,” Patrick said.
The Kansas House and Senate unanimously approved the naming of the new Big Blue River Bridge in Mike’s memory.
Don Kotapish, Blue Rapids, a family friend, met with the Blue Rapids City Council, and there are plans to put some type of memorial to Mike along the highway in City Park, Pat said.
“I think it would be a great honor to Mike and his family to have the bridge named the Michael Hugh Breeding Memorial Bridge,” Pat said in his remarks to the Kansas House of Representatives Transportation Committee in 2010.
“We are very fortunate that we live in the United States of America, a free people in a free nation,” he said. “But the ultimate sacrifice for that freedom has been paid time and time again.”
“Honoring Mike by naming the bridge after him will also be a tribute to all of the others that have also made the supreme sacrifice,” he said.
“If even one person, who sees this sign, takes a moment to think about what the price of freedom is, this project will be a great memorial to Mike,” he said.
Six men from Marshall County died in Vietnam:
Gerald Dean Founds, Frankfort, Feb. 7, 1965.
Joseph Arthur Zutterman Jr., Marysville, April 20, 1968.
Michael Hugh Breeding, Blue Rapids, Feb. 12, 1970.
Allen Eugene Oatney, Waterville, June 22, 1970.
Ronald William Munger, Beattie, Aug. 21, 1970.
Michael Terry Martin, Marysville, Nov. 22, 1970.
“This bridge will be named for Mike,” Pat said. “Legislation has been passed to name one of the new bridges in Marysville in honor of Joe Zutterman, and the other in honor of Mike Martin. Our goal now is to do something to honor the other three men.”
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